


Fierce

by spoffyumi



Series: Make It Work [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Drinking, Fashion Designer Magnus Bane, M/M, Model Alec Lightwood, Partying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 11:58:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12012249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoffyumi/pseuds/spoffyumi
Summary: In which Magnus and Raphael must fight off the romantic overtures of Alec and the epic awkwardness of Simon as they prepare for a photo shoot.





	Fierce

"You’re late," Raphael said, bustling past Magnus with an arsenal of makeup, brushes, and, for some reason, feathers.  He threw all this on the counter.  “I assume it has something to do with your new boy toy?”

"He refused to leave my apartment until I tricked him into going out in the hallway," Magnus moaned.  "I mean, part of it was because he couldn't find his clothes--"

Raphael arched an eyebrow.

Magnus waved his hands.  "Apparently I hid them up in the ceiling tiles when I was drunk.  Not the point.  Point is, I'm lucky I got him to leave at all.  And that he agreed to do a photo shoot last minute."

"Wouldn't have been last minute if you'd have answered your phone--"

"I told you, he held me captive!"  Magnus sat down in front of Raphael’s mirror and sighed at his own face.  “I hope you can work magic.”

“Luckily, the first interview doesn’t want any additional photos.”

“Really?  What’s the first interview?”

Before Raphael could answer, a voice rang out over the sound of stiletto heels clacking over the marble floors.  "Magnus Bane!" 

"Tessa!" Magnus whirled around with a smile pasted on his face.  The woman who approached had long, wavy brown hair and wore a simple black sheath dress, yet she looked capable of infinite violence.

Tessa marched up to him and jabbed her finger in his face. "Don't you ever ignore my calls again."

"It couldn't be helped," Magnus tried.

"EVER again."

"Yes, of course."

Melting back into the pleasant young woman she was, Tessa glanced around. “Where’s the model?”

“He’s on his way,” Magnus lied.  He had no idea when Alec would show up.  He had literally tossed Alec’s clothes into the hallway and slammed the door in his face, calling out, “See you at four!”  Otherwise Alec would have taken a shower with him, and probably fucked him two more times.  Magnus wouldn’t have _minded_ , exactly, but he certainly wouldn’t have been able to get here anywhere close to four. 

“He’d better be.  The photographer is setting up now.  Is that what you’re wearing?” Tessa’s eyes raked him up and down. 

Magnus glanced down at his outfit, an embroidered tunic and magenta skinny jeans.  “Yes?”

“It’ll work.  Can you talk while Raphael works?  The reporter from Rolling Stone is here already.”

“Rolling Stone?”

"They do cover more than music."

“Right.”

“I’ll send him in.”

As soon as Tess was gone, Magnus exhaled and slumped in the chair.  “I hope make up can cover stress wrinkles?”

“I shall do my best,” Raphael said, cracking his knuckles. 

Magnus closed his eyes.

"Uh, hi?"

Magnus opened his eyes again to see a hipster-looking guy with dark hair standing behind them in the mirror.  The guy smiled and waved awkwardly even though he stood not two feet from them.  "I'm Simon Lewis, from Rolling Stone?"

“Nice to meet you.”  Since Raphael was already working on his hair, Magnus extended his hand, which was encased in a very sweaty palm.  “I’m Magnus Bane.”

“Great, hi.  Um, hi?” Simon said to Raphael.  “I’m Simon Lewis, from Rolling Stone.”

“You already said that,” said Raphael. 

"I did?  Geez, I'm sorry.  I'm a little nervous.  This is only my second interview ever."

Suppressing an epic eye roll by casually glancing toward the door, Magnus asked, "Who was your first?"

"My first?  Uh, heh, that's a weird question.  Her name's Maureen, she was kind of a groupie for my band.  Maybe you've heard of my band.  The Sea Vegetable Conspiracy?"

Raphael snorted.

"You interviewed a groupie of your own band?" Magnus asked, now turning his full attention to Simon's plaid shirt and black fedora.  Funny, he had always assumed fedoras were something invented for internet memes, not real life.

Simon broke into nervous laughter.  "What?  Ha, oh, no, wow, I'm so embarrassed.  When you said first, my mind went someplace else entirely.  My first interview.  Okay.  Yeah, see that was kind of a joke, my first interview was my job interview.  Ha ha, get it?"

_Dear god_ , Magnus thought.  "Do you have some questions for me?"

"Oh, right!  Yes.  Hold on."

Magnus closed his eyes again while Raphael teased his hair and Simon dug through his messenger bag for a tiny notebook and a pen.  By the time Simon had asked a few questions, the reporter from Vogue had arrived, and then the one from Marie Claire.  Magnus thought he’d done pretty well, by the end of it, especially since Raphael would yank at his hair when he thought Magnus needed to give a different or better answer. 

“I look amazing,” Magnus said, catching his own eye in the mirror.  Raphael had done some interesting lines with magenta eyeliner that matched his pants.  “I’m so excited!  It’s my first photo shoot—wait, why are you still here?” Magnus asked.

Simon cleared his throat.  “Uh, no special reason, I just wanted to watch.  I thought it could add some flavor to my article.  Also, those other reporters were asking some really good questions.”

“That’s—” Magnus wanted to say completely unethical, but then his heart stopped.  Alexander Lightwood had arrived and was now striding down the hallway like it was a runway.  “Amazing,” he ended up saying instead.

“Thanks, er, I mean, I thought it was kind of a good idea but maybe a bit of a dick move,” Simon was saying.

Magnus wasn’t listening.  He had just gotten to his feet when Alec got close enough.  Then he was somehow up in the air.  Alec had scooped him up as if to carry him over a threshold. Magnus threw his arms around Alec's neck purely out of instinct, which meant he could look directly into those sea glass eyes.  "Hello," Magnus said.

"I missed you," said Alec.

His sincerity had Magnus melting in those strong arms.

There came a hissing sound from somewhere, and then a hairbrush was smacking Alec’s shoulder.  Alec flinched as Raphael said, “Put.  Him.  Down.”

Alec set Magnus down.  Raphael gave him a final hiss. 

“He just finished my hair and makeup,” Magnus explained.

With a grin, Alec grabbed Magnus’s face.  “And it looks so good,” he crooned, then kissed him. 

Magnus sighed and leaned into the kiss.  He’d never had anyone kiss him at work.  Granted, his work usually took place in a studio with six other fashion designers who shared the rent with him, and there was too much fabric and sewing and swearing for romantic entanglements. 

The kiss was short lived, as Alec pulled away sharply.  Magnus opened his eyes to see Raphael spraying Alec in the face with a water bottle.  “No,” Raphael said.  “Bad.”

Alec blinked the water from his face.  As soon as he saw Magnus he grinned again. 

“Get in the chair,” Raphael commanded.  He brandished the spray bottle until Alec complied. 

"Um, quick question," said Simon Lewis.

“Yes?” Magnus asked.

"Oh, no, not for you.  Uh, for you."  Simon actually poked Alec's arm.  "What’s with the tattoo?"  He gestured to his neck.

Alec shrugged.  “I woke up with it.”

“So someone drugged you, and tattooed you while you were unconscious?”

“No,” Alec said, then thought hard.  “I don’t think that’s what happened.”

Raphael made a shooing motion to Simon.  “I need to work.”

“Do you mind if I stay and watch?” Simon asked.  Raphael hissed again.  Simon nodded.  “I’ll take that as a no.”

After the photography shoot, Magnus looked at himself again in the mirror while Alec undressed.  Or tried, since his eyes kept drifting to the half-naked man behind him.  Alec tugged on a pair of leather pants.  He looked ready for another night of partying, but he hadn’t mentioned any plans to Magnus.  Sighing, Magnus took one of the makeup removing wipes.

“Don’t,” Alec said as Magnus brought the cloth up to his eye.  “You look so…”  He wrapped his arms around Magnus from behind, and growled.  “Grrr… fierce.”  His teeth gently tugged on Magnus’s ear.

“I didn’t have any plans to go out after this,” Magnus said. 

Alec’s tongue flicked out between his teeth.  Did this man somehow know every way to turn him on?

“Come out with me,” Alec whispered, except he had forgotten to stop biting Magnus’s ear while he said it.

“Are you going anyplace special?”

“I was just going to follow you home,” Alec said.  “But Jace wants to go out to Pandemonium tonight.  Please come with me.”  Pandemonium was the most exclusive club in Manhattan.  Magnus had so many friends who had waited in line and never gotten in that he’d never actually tried to go there himself.

Alec’s hand moved down Magnus’s chest. 

How could he say no?

“Could you get _me_ in?” came a familiarly annoying voice.

Magnus squinted into the shadows behind him.  Simon wasn’t the only one hiding there.  Raphael was back there too, looking a little embarrassed. 

“Sure thing,” said Alec.

“Please, no,” Magnus whispered.

“Really?” Simon grabbed Raphael’s arm.  “Let’s go.”

“You can _not_ come to the club with us,” Magnus said.  Raphael glared at him from behind Simon.  He felt Alec turning to look at him, too.  Worst of all was the crestfallen look on Simon’s face.  Magnus took a deep breath and added, “Not in _that_ outfit.”

It was clearly the right thing to say, because Alec crushed him to his chest, and Raphael’s mouth hinted at a smile.  Magnus was a fashion designer.  If anyone could transform Simon, he could.

***

The geek to chic makeover took a trip to Magnus's studio, several hours hunched over a sewing machine, and seeing far too much of Simon's chalky skin, but the result was worth it.  Simon now looked nearly as runway-worthy as a model.  Not a model of Alexander Lightwood's caliber, but maybe a Jace Herondale.  That might be generous.  Magnus still thought he'd done a great job.

Halfway through, Alec had gone off to get coffee, waving off Magnus's request with the horrifying phrase, "I got you, babe."  What he got Magnus, handed over with a mind-meltingly beautiful smile, was a coffee Alec claimed was, "How you like it."  Meaning it was a black coffee and two handfuls of flavored creamer pods.  Raphael chewed on his bottom lip trying not to laugh at Magnus's agony.  Later, Raphael disappeared and returned with a venti Mocha Frappuccino topped with caramel drizzle and nutmeg, which Magnus drank on the sly in the bathroom.

Magnus had to admit, he did work well with Alec sitting behind him, massaging his shoulders.  "You got this," he said whenever Magnus started to have a meltdown over the fit. 

"I'm gonna buy you all your drinks tonight," Alec promised, nuzzling Magnus's neck as they waited on the curb for their ride.  The gleaming black limo that pulled up wasn’t empty, however; Jace was there, with Clary on his lap.  Isabelle was there too, and she pulled her brother inside and started whispering.

Raphael took that moment to lean in Magnus’s ear.  “This is going to be one interesting evening.”

Unfortunately, Magnus couldn’t remember most of it.  Inside the limo, there was champagne and a flask full of something that burned all the way down.  And then Magnus was waking up in a bathtub wearing only a pair of cowboy boots, a pair of lime green boxer briefs, and about thirty beaded necklaces. 

“What…” he croaked, sifting his fingers through the necklaces.  Was it Mardi Gras?  And whose underwear was this?  A sharp pain drew his attention back up to his chest, where he discovered a small hoop piercing his nipple. 

He didn’t see Alec – or Raphael or Simon, thank god – as he clambered out of the bathtub and nearly killed himself trying to walk in the cowboy boots.  The bathroom had no windows and no way to tell what time it was, or how long he’d been unconscious.  Music coming from the other side of the door told him he wasn’t alone.  And unless Alec had a maid, he was definitely in a hotel room.

Opening the bathroom door just a crack, Magnus peeked out.

“There he is!” crowed Alec, who was holding two bottles of vodka.  He stepped over a few other prone bodies – one of them was his sister Isabelle – and handed Magnus one of the bottles.  Magnus grimaced and set the bottle down on the sink, just in time for Alec to kiss him.  “Can I give you that lap dance now?”

Suddenly Magnus felt much more alert.  “Um, _yes._ ”

Alec laughed.  “I don’t know if I can top yours, but I’ll try.”

Could he die now?  The hotel room was full of people, some of whom cheered as he exited the bathroom.  He smiled faintly and waved at Jace and Clary making out in the corner, Simon in his underwear playing what was apparently strip poker with three fully clothed girls. Raphael sat by the window, smoking and observing.

“Please tell me I haven’t completely embarrassed myself,” Magnus hissed at him.

“You are aware that you have the words ‘Eat Me’ written across your ass?”

“Sit down,” Alec instructed, at the same time that he shoved Magnus back into the room’s one armchair.  Well, at least sitting down meant no one would be staring at his ass.  And once Alec started dancing, Magnus stopped worrying about what anyone else thought. 


End file.
